The invention relates generally to a fan coil unit of a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system, and, more particularly, to an electric heater coil accessory configured for use with a fan coil unit.
In a conventional air conditioning system, the condenser of the refrigeration circuit is located exterior to a building. Typically, this system includes a condensing coil, a fan for circulating outdoor ambient air over the condensing coil, and may additionally have a compressor, reversing valves, and various controls. The air conditioning system further includes an indoor unit having an evaporator for transferring heat energy from the indoor air to be conditioned to the refrigerant flowing through the evaporator and a fan for circulating the indoor air in a heat exchange relationship with the evaporator. This type of unit is referred to as a fan coil unit.
In conventional fan coil units, especially those used in warmer climates having a reduced heating demand, an auxiliary electric heat coil accessory may be mounted to the fan coil unit. By including an electric heat coil accessory, the air conditioning system can be adapted to provide both cool and warm air to a building. This electric heat coil accessory connects to the discharge end of the fan coil unit and therefore increases the overall height of the fan coil unit. Because many applications have strict size envelopes within which the fan coil unit must fit, inclusion of the additional electric heat coil accessory is not always possible. In addition, the added height of the accessory makes the fan coil unit more difficult to install.